ECOLOGIAL RESTORATION
ER
AT CEDAR LAKE POINT BEACH (AND BEYOND)
Oh, the treasured morning walk around Cedar Lake on this beautiful early spring morning. The sunshine, the birds singing from the trees, the geese squawking from there shoreline, and the silhouetted shadows of trees cast upon the wilderness walk. To be present in the moment is one of nature's gifts. That's one part of the experience. As like many weekend mornings, to be among the first human tracks through this "unmanaged natural area" as the Minneapolis Park Board designates it, is also to experience part of last night's past. Three nodes of activity seemed to be really happening last night. "Sunset Bench" seemed most popular, followed by Memorial Grove, and then the mound. I'm trying to envision the fun it must have been roast almost two packages of hotdogs over a campfire. Half of package were left untouched and left behind. And those more than a dozen cans pf Hamm's beer must have tasted so good that it seemed like fun to toss all the cans into the marsh. At Memorial Grove and the mound, campfires must have been more about creating ambiance. Chipotle and beers and vodka were feast favorites. At the mound, it was like last week, toss down the throat and then down the hillside a half dozen Modellas. What do we expect? The thing I can't seem to understand is, how can we expect anything other than this kind of behavior when we have done so little to say what this area should be? Of course it would be nice if those who were using the park were not abusing it. But wouldn't it also be nice if we had posted hours of when the park is open and closed? Wouldn't it be nice if we could have the area patrolled to provide a sense that this kind of behavior will not go unchecked? In reading and re-reading the history of establishing this area, it's always been community led. In 1986, the community created the Cedar Lake Park Association to purchase the land keeping it from being developed, "to establish a nature park in the heart of the city." Since they donated the land to the Park Board, most formal expressions of the park's experience with nature have been urged by the local community. East Cedar Beach wasn't even named until a few years ago. The wooded area to the south of 21st Street was incredibly accomplished by two women and their legions of community volunteers. The wooded area to the north created Memorial Grove, planting a spiral tree design was created by volunteers. The prairie along the Cedar Lake Regional Trail wouldn't be there if it were not envisioned and driven by community volunteers. We're at a time where we could use a little help from the MPRB. This area needs to be elevated beyond "wilded" as it was referred to in the Cedar Isles Plan before the community pushed back saying this was just placing a positive spin on the reality of the area actually being neglected. It is formally called an "unmanaged natural area" meaning it faces special challengers even getting on the radar and attracting funds to support its needs. Welcoming more to the nature park in the heart of the city More visitors, brought on by there warmer months and the oncoming light rail with two adjacent stops, will mean it's never more important to clarify and establish the identity and nature of this natural area. If we don't reinforce and remind and communicate the original intent of why this area was created, it remains vulnerable to being defined by those who can unknowingly and unintentionally destroy this nature park in the heart of the city.
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It's certainly happened to most of us, and hopefully more than a few times. It's the sense of discovery of a whole new world of knowledge with a single word. Last week, the word that word was "biophilia". Biophilia is a hypothetical human tendency to interact or be closely associated with other forms of life in nature. Of course, if I was paying closer attention to my musical side, I could have discovered this word much sooner, thanks to Bjork's 2011 album. I'll now listen to it while writing. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biophilia_(album) Biophilia is expansive and covers an array of topics and perspectives, that each and all point to the intersection between humans and other (non-human) members of nature. I've struggled with how to conceptualize how we as humans interact with nature. Maybe it was best illustrated in a previous blog post "But Why?" but-why.html that shows "ego" versus "eco". We as humans are one of many species of nature. But our behaviors and language suggests otherwise. We live with federal, state and local public departments of natural resources. The Wikipedia definition of a resource, "refers to all the materials available in our environment which are technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally sustainable, and help us to satisfy our needs and wants. (My emphasis added.) The biophilia hypothesis www.britannica.com/science/biophilia-hypothesis is a human experience about sense of connection with nature. It's the intersection of the Venn diagram between the needs, wants and desires of human interests and all other non-human beings. Here in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities, and statewide, we are gifted with an abundance of opportunities to connect and have a relationship with nature. Best relationships are reciprocal where each party gives back and forth. Where some places are respected and reserved and protected for their own needs, wants and desires. A Nickel of a Dollar to Nature?How reciprocal is our relationship with nature? How much does our Park Board dedicate to the environment? Topline review of the MPRB budget shows that two departments have funds that go to our natural resources. The 2024 Environmental Management budget is $4.7 million, or 4.6% of the total General Fund. That budget is actually less than 2023, which was $5.2 million. I expect there are nuances and reasons for this decline, such as funds are also from other places other than the General Fund. And I am asking those questions. But the figures from the past three years reveal that the Environmental Management budget has consistently hovered around 5%. Maybe we should consider the Forrest Department when looking at budgets that serve nature. Their budget is about $10 million. But I was a bit discouraged when my conversation with a Forest Department field staffer about their role in natural areas. His reply was, they don't do work in the woods or natural areas, they focus one boulevards and trees in neighborhood parks. So it would be a stretch to suggest that the Forest Department's 10% of the General Fund went to protecting nature. One Million trail users are arriving . . .A Cedar Lake Park Association representative reported yesterday that the Light Rail development involved installing the metal plates for the at grade crossing of the Cedar Lake Trail and the LRT. They are planning for 220 trains per day, and one million trail users, using this crossing. . . . to a vulnerable natural areaCedar Lake Park remains under the Park Board's definition, "unmanaged". Whatever ecological restoration that has occurred in the area has been initiated by citizen Park Stewards and their teams of volunteers. The efforts have been Herculean, but it won't be enough to manage the million treads of visitors, who by foot, wheels, or whatever moves them into this place that for years volunteers have been trying to restore and protect the natural environment. |
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I'm Steve Kotvis, volunteer Park Steward for the Minneapolis Cedar Lake Point Beach peninsula who has a newfound love of restoring this natural area and more. I'm learning as I go, and enjoy sharing that with those who have an interest. I'm also a photographer, so the photos in this blog are mine unless otherwise labeled.